The Top 5 Best Immune System Supplements

What with the swine flu about and all kinds of other communicable diseases out there, it’s no wonder that many people are concerned about keeping themselves healthy. Of course, we all know that washing our hands frequently and keeping our hands away from our faces are good ways of avoiding disease.

Avoiding other sick people and not letting anyone cough or sneeze on you, as well as not eating or drinking after sick people and dressing warmly in cold weather are tried and true ways to keep healthy. However, the best and easiest way to avoid disease is to shore up your body’s natural defenses and let nature do what it’s supposed to do. To help your body along, you can take a number of immune system supplements that can make your body a virtual fortress that no germs can penetrate. What are the best immune system supplements to take?

Here are the top 5 you should consider.

1. Vitamin C – This is a classic, but effective option. You can get this vitamin in chewable form to make it easier to take, especially for kids. It increases your T cells, which are a critical part of your immune system. The vitamin can help fight off everything from bacteria to viruses, and keep you healthy both inside and out. Add it to your daily regimen and reap the benefits.

2. Zinc – There are lots of zinc lozenge brands available now that you can take at the first sign of a cold, and lessen its duration or ward it off entirely. It strengthens the body’s defenses very well, and its lozenge form is easy for kids to take.

3. Probiotics – These active cultures that are present in yogurt play a very important role in digestive health. Since your digestion is critical to the overall health of your entire body, probiotics are something you’ll want to take regularly. Fortunately, it’s easy to get them by eating yogurt, drinking kefir, taking a dissolvable powder or chewing a tablet.

4. Echinacea – This popular herb has been shown in numerous studies to strengthen the immune system with regular use. Take it for two weeks at a time, then take a week off, then two weeks back on, and so forth.

5. Vitamin D3 — This incredibly important vitamin can be obtained naturally by spending at least 10 minutes a day in direct sunlight. Studies are showing that it can prevent everything from the common cold to diabetes and cancer. You can take it as part of your immune system supplements, but getting it naturally is easy and cheap.